Trimble introduced the new Aardvark DR+GPS module that brings together Dead Reckoning (DR) and Global Positioning System (GPS) on a single unit. The DR part becomes very important when GPS signals are weak, such as in tunnels or in big cities where skyscrapers block the sky. Aardvark DR+GPS module is geared towards system integrators or OEMs that need dead reckoning capabilities to vehicle navigation, fleet management and asset tracking systems.
Dead reckoning is the method used to guess one’s position based on direction and distance traveled since the last known position. If you have an accurate reading of the speed, time and heading, then dead reckoning will be accurate – or at least give you an idea until GPS signal available again.
The 19mm x 19mm surface mount module has an on-board gyro and collects speed and forward/reverse data from the vehicle’s sensors. Its sophisticated DR+GPS algorithm automatically calibrates the gyro and external sensors’ inputs and optimally blends this information with GPS measurements to produce accurate position and velocity outputs in hostile GPS environments such as urban canyons.
Magellan today announced its new Magellan RoadMate portable automobile navigation family. As of this moment we don’t have product images but we’ll update as soon as we get our hands on them.
The new models are the following:
RoadMate 2210 – 4.3 inch
RoadMate 2210T – 4.3 inch with Lifetime Traffic Alerts
RoadMate 2220-LM – 4.3 inch with Lifetime Map Updates (up to four times a year)
RoadMate 2230T-LM – 4.3 inch with Lifetime Map Updates and Lifetime Traffic Alerts
RoadMate 5220-LM – 5 inch with Lifetime Map Updates
RoadMate 5230T-LM – 5 inch with Lifetime Map Updates and Lifetime Traffic Alerts
RoadMate 5235T-LM – 5 inch with Lifetime Map Updates, Lifetime Traffic Alerts and Protective Sleeve
The prices range from $100 to $170 and all new Magellan RoadMate’s are preloaded with maps of the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.
What’s interesting with the new Magellan series is that it’s going to use – in addition to traditional street names – landmarks as guidance. Such as “turn left at the gas station” or any other easily visible landmark such as banks, etc.
The new models also feature traffic camera alerts which you get for free in the first year. You also have the junction view feature which lets you look at busy intersections in a way so you don’t panic and drive off to the side of the road.
Another new feature is the integration of bestparking.com which can help you easily find a parking spot. You also get speed limit assist and AAA TourBook content.
Nasa is testing a GPS monitoring for earthquakes in the western U.S. The goal of the system is to quickly find location and magnitude of earthquakes across the western United States. The system is called READI Mitigation Network which stands for Real-time Earthquake Analysis for Disaster. If it works correctly it could also help with early tsunami warnings.
There will be about 500 stations in California, Oregon, and Washington which can detect the characteristics of a quake which includes things like location, magnitude, and the fault rupture.
READI is designed for earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or larger. Current technology to detect the size and location of a earthquake to predict tsunamis is not very accurate and only relies on measuring ground shaking. The new technology will be high precision and detect ground displacement via GPS. Ground deformation will be looked at by this system which will reduce the time needed to find out about the damage from a quake.
Years ago we reviewed the Suunto X10. Earlier this year Suunto announced a new GPS watch called Suunto Ambit. We will be getting a Suunto Ambit to do a in-depth review but before that let’s do a side by side specs comparison. See this image below:
As you can see from this image there are some major differences between X10 and Ambit. Ambit does a much better job at keeping track of altitude changes. Ambit has automatic alti/baro switch and real-time vertical cumulative value and can report on your total ascent descent. As far as direction – Ambit wins again since it has the 3D digital compass.
In the heart rate tracking department Suunto Ambit boast ANT support where as Suunto X10 doesn’t. You can also use heart rate belts with Ambit. Both of these GPS watches are water resistant to 100 meters and weigh about the same weight.
In reporting weather Ambit and X10 do about the same. However Ambit has a barometer resolution of 1hPa/0.03 inHg.
IPS is indoor (internal) positioning system. Since weak signals from GPS and GLONASS can not penetrate buildings here on Earth you end up with really crappy positioning if you’re indoors. IPS can change that and give you a much faster position fix and resolution. It mostly relies on WiFi signals to figure out where you are but there’s really no standard. It can also use Bluetooth or even near field communication signals provided there’s a database that knows where these signals are generated from.
Google for example just released an app that attempts to crowd source this effort. Users can download an app on their Android phone called Google Maps Floor Plan Marker. With this app users are asked (usually the venue owner) to move around the space after uploading a blueprint. The app uses map matching to calibrate the RF, and WiFi signals against the existing map uploaded by the venue owner to Google servers.
To help all this effort Broadcom has a brand new receiver called BCM4752 that supports surveying of all these signals on smartphones.
The Broadcom chip supports IPS through WiFi, Bluetooth, and even NFC. More importantly, though, the chip also ties in with other sensors, such as a phone’s gyroscope, magnetometer, accelerometer, and altimeter. Acting like a glorified pedometer, this Broadcom chip could almost track your movements without wireless network triangulation. It simply has to take note of your entry point (via GPS), and then count your steps (accelerometer), direction (gyroscope), and altitude (altimeter).
This guy (wallygpx) turns on GPS tracking, gets on his bike and starts drawing – on Google Maps. His tools are his leg muscles, water bottle, his bike, and a smartphone with GPS tracking app.
He has a lot of drawings but here’s a few:
His site has many more but as he admits his site is pretty weird. It’s all Flash. Read More..
Engadget got their hands on the ASUS GPS dongle for Transformer Prime. As you may already know Transformer Prime had GPS lock issues since it first came out and no software could fix the problem. ASUS recently decided that all users needed to get a GPS dongle to fix the problem for good.
Engadget was mostly happy with their hands on experience, citing satellite fix within 16 seconds of installation.
Trimble of California just recently took over the Belgian company Gatewing which specializes in super light unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Trimble will be using these UAVs to create aerial imagery such as orthophotos and Digital Surface Models (DSMs). One of the vehicles Gatewing makes is X100 which a sub 5 lbs plane with GPS, gyro system, radio communications module, a 10MP camera, and of course a power source. What X100 will do after entering flight information is to map the terrain with parallel flight paths and overlapping photos.
Anders Rhodin, director of Trimble’s Survey Business said this on this recent acquisition:
“The combination of UAVs and low-altitude photogrammetry as an image collection platform opens up new opportunities for surveyors to use aerial imagery for the rapid acquisition of high-density geospatial data.”
This is a GPS device made just for sailing and you can pick one up online for $400.
How this is different than GPS chartplotters is that it is very difficult to correctly estimate time of arrival on those. What this GPS does is that it accounts for the tacking that sailboats and also give you the optimal tacking angles and your Tacking Time to Destination (TTD). It does this by displaying how long it will take to reach each tack, and the optimal tacks to arrive earliest.
Another handy feature of this Sailing GPS is the ability to talk to Google Maps via bluetooth which beats entering lat long manually. When you’re done you can hook up to a computer and see your vessel’s speed stats, and wind speeds.
The Sailing GPS is based on a new patent called “Navigational Planning and Display Method for the Sailor’s Dilemma When Heading Upwind” which was filed 6 years ago but just recently granted.
Asus Transformer Prime users haven’t had the best GPS experience yet. The company admitted it was their fault that the device could not get a solid GPS satellite fix. So their current fix for the time being is to offer each and every Transformer Prime user a free GPS dongle.
The reason they provided was that the external metal body of the tablet interfered with the GPS signals. So now the best they can do is to send an external GPS receiver:
It will look similar to the hinge from the dock. Where it will be a flush fit on the bottom of the unit if held in landscape matching the color of your Prime chassis.
The external GPS dongle will be ready by about mid-April but we’re not clear on the claim process yet.
NAVIGADGET
